Mahadev desai biography of christopher

Views: Vaikom Muhammad Basheer Views: Firdaus Kanga Views: Kumar Vishwas Views: Kuvempu Views: Bharathidasan Views: Vallikannan Views: Anees Jung Views: Kunchan Nambiar Views: After being re-arrested, he spent time in Belgaum Jail, where he composed the posthumously published Gita According to Gandhi in On the morning of August 15,while imprisoned at the Aga Khan Palace alongside Gandhi, Mahadev Desai, 50, died of a heart attack.

He has never in his life disobeyed me before. Desai was cremated on the Palace grounds, where his samadhi may still be found today. Gandhi was the one to cleanse his body. A stamp honouring him was issued by the Indian Postal Service in Related Posts. This enabled him to continue his studies without being a burden on his father. Mahadev had no inclination for games, indoor or outdoor; nor could he play any.

He liked walking. When the Navajivan was stationed at Pankor Naka and Sarangpur Gate in Ahmedabad, he often used to walk from the Sabarmati Ashram to the office and back. He walked briskly, at an average of four miles an hour. To get accustomed to long marching practice, he always got up early in the morning and walked a distance of nine miles to and fro.

Even after such a tiresome walk of 18 miles, he used to work for Gandhi the whole day. From there he would start on foot, at noon, for Sevagram, a distance of five and a half miles, and walk back in the evening to his home in Maganwadi. At times he would go and come back, twice a day, in the scorching heat of Central India, covering twenty two miles in a single day.

Even after such long walks, he did not put away his routine activity of reading, writing and spinning. In spite of his lack of interest in games, Mahadev was full of sportsmanship. He overlooked defects in others, but was always ready to see and acquire their virtues. He may be labeled a man of serious temperament but was warmhearted, jovial in nature, and possessed the art of combining fun and humour in a natural and easy way in the midst of serious and important work, so much so that there was always around him an atmosphere of playfulness, mirth and enthusiasm.

This quality of his endeared him to all. After passing B. But since the subject of his choice was not prescribed that year, he opted for LLB On the other hand, in order not to burden his father, he decided to improve his educational qualification on his own and sought to earn his livelihood by some kind of a job. He got one with the Oriental Translator's office.

During this time the Gujarat Forbes Society announced a prize of one thousand rupees for the best Gujarati translation of On compromise written by Lord Morley. Mahadev offered himself for the competition and won the prize. He passed his LLB mahadev desai biography of christopher by the end of So Mahadev decided to cast his lot with Ahmedabad, with a view to save establishment expenditure.

He stayed for 15 to 18 months in Ahmedabad and when his father retired, Mahadev with the help of his friend Vaikunth L Mehta secured an appointment as inspector in the Central Co-operative Bank of Bombay. But his destiny was fast drawing him into the folds of Gandhi. In Mayhe started his Ashram in a hired mahadev desai biography of christopher near Kochrab in Ahmedabad.

After some time, he issued a draft of objectives and rules for the proposed Ashram and requested his friends and well-wishers, all over the country, to send their opinion and criticism. Responding to that Mahadev and Narahari Parikh offered their criticism jointly and awaited a reply from Gandhi. Shortly thereafter, Gandhi came to speak at a public meeting in Premabhai Hall.

Mahadev and Narahari followed Gandhi when he started back for his Ashram. Intercepting him on his way, they inquired if he had received their letter. In reply Gandhi said: "Yes, I have received a letter signed by two persons. Are you the two? Thereupon Gandhi took them to the Ashram and explained his ideals and his concept for nearly an hour and a half.

When they came out, it had began to drizzle and at the same time something was stirring within their hearts too. Silently they reached Ellis Bridge, and Mahadev broke the silence: "Narahari, I have a mind to go and sit at the feet of this man". This was their spontaneous response, the first springing up of a desire to join the Ashram.

Mohanlal Pandya and Dayaljibhai were the two persons who strengthened their initiation and ultimately led them both into the hands of Gandhi. Narahari Parikh was the first to join Gandhi's Ashram in Apri Kaka Kalelkar had already started living in the Ashram when Narahari Parikh went there. Mahadev had to make up his mind; nonetheless, he continued to remain in touch with the Ashram and especially with Gandhi.

It was during one such meeting in Bombay that Gandhi expressed his mind, in the following words, to Mahadev Desai:. It is not without reason that I have asked you to visit me every day. I want you to come and stay with me. I have found in you just the type of young man for whom I have been searching for the last two years. Will you believe me if I tell you that I have got in you the man I wanted-the man to whom I can entrust all my work some day and be at ease, and on whom I can rely with confidence?

You have to come to me I am confident that you will be useful to me in various ways because of your good qualities. This was a clarion call. It was irresistible. Mahadev could not concentrate his mind on any other thing. The thought of his new master was uppermost in his mind. After the conference Gandhi was to go straight to Champaran. Gandhi told the couple to accompany him on his tour to Bihar and then finally decide what to do.

Mahadevbhai and Durgabehn joined his entourage. After his visit to Champaran, Mahadev came back to Dihen to consult his father and get his blessings. Narahari Parikh was then with Gandhi in Champaran. They were anxiously awaiting the news of Mahadev's arrival. Mahadev came the next day. That was the beginning of a relationship destined to last for a quarter of a century, till his death on 15 August He is highly regarded as a translator and writer in Gujarati.

He started translating when he was studying in college. Later it was published as Satyagrahni Maryada. From Bengali, he translated Saratchandra Chattopadhyaya 's short stories as Tran Vartao and the novella Virajvahu Mahadevbhaini Dayari — is the 22 volume publication of Mahadev Desai's diaries. He was also a regular contributor to Gandhi's publications Young IndiaNavjivan and the Harijanbandhu.

Aged 50, Mahadev Desai died of a heart attack on the morning of 15 August at the Aga Khan Palace where he was interned with Gandhi. When Desai stopped breathing, Gandhi called out to him in agitation: "Mahadev! He had never disobeyed me in his life. I was confident that if had he heard those words, he would have defied even death and got up".

The Indian Department of Posts published a commemorative stamp in his honour in Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikisource Wikidata item.

Mahadev desai biography of christopher

Personal secretary of Mahatma Gandhi. Desai with Mahatma Gandhi. Early life [ edit ].